Thursday, March 31, 2011

This is a picture of what I believe is the fire at the Rialto Theatre that used to be on Fairfield Avenue in Morrellville. This is a family photo - and nothing was written on the back. As far as I can remember - it happened sometime in the 1960's. If anyone has an exact date - please let me know.

Better watch your feet....otherwise my cousin Karen L. is going to runover your toes....she still drives like this...lol. Karen is so glad to be my cousin along with being my godmother (because it's a treat being related to me)...she is the kindest person I have ever met and is the type that will give you the shirt off her back. She currently has her hands full taking care of her 95 year old mother last seen HERE in 1917.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I am re-posting this picture because I have some updated information courtesy of reader Harold K. He says "I'm almost sure that the picture is from the Franklin Mill. In 1953-4, I used to work there in the 'Crane Gang." My group serviced all the overhead cranes in the Franklin Mill. The train in the picture is carrying large ingots that go in or come from the huge ovens inside. Just above the ingots on the right, notice the cab of the crane. We worked on that crane in the cold of winter and the heat of summer. It was one of the filthiest, greasiest jobs that you can imagine."

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Happy Birthday to my little sister Kelly (Cacicia) Edwards. This is her - very unhappy about who knows what - at the Oakhurst Claypits last seen HERE from around 1968. It was always an adventure when we'd head over to the claypits...
Her response to this picture will probably be to say that she is holding her head because I threw a rock at her...lol!

This is from an old picture postcard and they must of printed it this way. This house is in Vintondale - maybe it was built on top of a mine shaft and the house settled - or it was known as the 'crooked house in Vintondale' - either way I have no clue.

This is a clip featuring the Magic Mirror - but this is NOT local. I have a local clip - but finding it is another story. I'll work on that. Anyway - Romper Room was a National Program that local affiliates made into their own.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Nice photo of Romper Room sent in by reader Lanny V. the retired chief videographer. (Lisa - I can tell you that some of the props are probably still around the building most likely in the basement - which we call the broadcast museum. This is the studio that the news is currently done in. so much has changed in the decades since. Especially when it comes to cameras and their size. Our new studio cameras - are the size of the viewfinders on the big box cameras. And the newer ones - soon to make their debut are even smaller.)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

This photo was sent in Georgeanne Y. and it shows her father Edward Hanzel standing in front of my house on K Street in 1960. Ed and wife Kitty were very well known around Morrellville. Ed was a mailman and Kitty worked in the kitchen at the old Catholic War Vets Post 954 in Cambria City. Besides being related to me - they were my lifelong neighbors and you couldn't have asked for two better people. If you were lucky enough to know Kitty (McGinty) you knew she was Irish through and through from her love of her hometown of St. Michael to the 'parking for Irish only' sign in their front yard.

New High School in Altoona, Blair County sent in by reader Rick M. What an odd looking building - I have no idea what type of construction you would call it. It almost looks like the builders couldn't make up their minds when it came to the style of the building. I have no idea if this is still there.

Nice old picture postcard of Memorial Hospital - sent in by reader Rick M. What's so interesting about this is - what is written on it: "Dear Friend, this is the place I served 30 days from, Chas." I wonder what he means? Maybe he had something like smallpox, measles or TB and was stuck there until they thought he was infection free...

Another reader postcard sent in by Kathy P. This shows the Stone Bridge and Washington Street Bridge. What stands out in this picture to me is the metal tower - on Brownstown Hill - that almost looks like it could be a cell phone tower circa 1950.

Monday, March 21, 2011

This picture postcard sent in by reader Kathy P. You don't really see too many shots of old Johnstown High from this angle. This really shows the beauty of the JHS.
Seeing the school patrol guard on this picture - how many of you remember being a patrol? I was one at Bheam and to me - it was such a status symbol - from the white belt and shiny silver badge to the flag pole that gave you the power to stop traffic when you felt like it. It was a kids power rush! I still have my old white belt - which I would scrub to keep clean along with my silver badge and a small lapel size badge.

I have a backlog of reader pictures sent in to me and had to wait until my portable hard drive arrived. It's here now - so for today: This picture postcard of the old Kernville Cafe was sent in by reader Rick M.
What do 'yinz' say - we all meet up tonight at 617 Franklin Street - the drinks are on me!
Being a former bartender - I have to say what a beautiful set up. In a way it sort of reminds me of Slovak Band Hall in Cambria City - which was one of the former clubs I used to work at.

Junior Reserve Club clipping. The arrow is pointing to our Vi - double click to enlarge. Wish I had a better photo of her. The writing underneath the picture: "This was a picture taken at an interclub council of the G R's. Dot Colbert was Sec. instead of Dot Beuke but she was unable to attend.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

This photo was sent in by reader Harold K. and shows some of the damage on the day of the flood. This is the area where the Franklin Street Bridge is. In a letter writing campaign, over 15,000 people sent letters to President Franklin Roosvelt...pleading for some form of flood control to help their stricken city. By 1938, the Army Corp of Engineers began work on our areas river channels. When construction was finished in 1943. They declared Johnstown "Flood Free"...that was until 1977.

As a personal note - I feel that without the Flood Control Project alot of us folks from the West End Section would have perished in the 1977 Flood...of that I am convinced.

This picture postcard sent in by reader Rick M. By noon on St. Patricks Day the rivers and streams started spilling over their banks. One third of Johnstown lay underwater and a dozen people lost their lives - which is something that sometimes gets passed over - remembering that some people did indeed lose their lives.

Another 1936 Flood Postcard sent in by reader Rick M. from the front of the old Cambria Theatre. The 1935-36 winter was a rough one for the folks of the Alleghenies. It just never seemed to stop snowing. Along with the Spring thaw came heavy rains. The already saturated soil just couldn't handle the extra load.

This picture postcard was sent in by reader Rick M. (Lisa - At the time of the flood my own father Robert Cacicia was less than a year old and lived right next to the crick on K Street) and the following story is from my Aunt (Mimi) Mary Jane Cacicia Adams - "I was just 5, so bear with me. My Dad (John Cacicia) must of tried to get to work that morning (he had a shoe repair store in Cambria City) , and the Street cars were not running. So he and a few of his Gumba's started walking to Morrellville to see what was going on.

I guess they had heard over the Radio that some area's had flooding. He came back awhile later and told my Mother to pack up what could be carried, and her and us kids to go to a friend's house up the hill. We got to the end of K street, and turned left and started walking. Johnny (her borther ) and I thought this was great, A field day and a sleepover. Lucy and Fred being teenagers were not that impressed.

My Dad said that water was coming up fast at the Bridge in Morrellville, where there is a Market now, and the turn to go to Coopersdale.' and that it was headed our way. We got to our destination. They had children our age, and that thought it was great also..We dug in for the long haul. It was great while it lasted.

Several hours later My Dad gets there, and the "Bubble of Happiness" was burst. He said the water stopped at the bridge, and was receding.( he actually didn't say receding,as I doubt he could pronounce that word). But the water was no longer coming our way. There was sadness in Mudville right then. Oh, wrong thing, that was a line out of Casey at the Bat. Well, it was sad and we were very disappointed.

We returned home. Quiet on the way back, maybe because Pop was with us then? Both Johnny and I confered later, that we were both thinking in our minds, We were cursing the "Water that stopped at the Bridge.!! Ruined a day that was supposed to be a fun day, even if it was a Flood.

This is photo from reader Harold K - the arrow is pointing to his mother. He says - I was looking through my mother's old photographs for something else on the '36 Flood and came across this. I thought the same thing about the route possibly being 219. My family was living on Vine Street at the time of the flood. My sister Betty tells me the story of how we (I was 2 yrs. old) had to "take to the hills." She said my mother lost her wallet on the way up and my dad, who was carrying me, had to go back and find it.

Today marks the 75-th Anniversary of the 1936 St. Patricks Day Flood. This is a film clip from a Newsreel that covered the event. The photog George Gore who was from Johnstown - happened to be in town at the time visiting his sister. He'd brought with him only one reel of fresh 35 mm film stock. Talk about a story falling in your lap. Most film clips of the damage that are now shown - is from the stuff he shot. He was lucky enough to be able to grab more 35 mm stock from the old Camera store in town (whose names escapes me at the moment) so he could continue filming.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

This is about as 1960's as you can get. The Cacicia Family up in Elton at my Uncles place. I am the one that looks like I am not very happy about something and just want to make a run for it. My parents - Robert (holding little baby Kelly) and Gail (Patsy Lenz) with her hands on my shoulders and brother Bob looking at me like I have three ears...he still looks at me like that to this day...

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Beautiful old picture postcard of Luna Park - now Roxbury Park in Johnstown. What I wouldn't give to just be able to spend a summer afternoon enjoying all that the park offered. What an experience this must have been - to eat and ride your way from one side of the park to the other.

Monday, March 14, 2011

There was nothing to me that can ever compare to shopping at Gee Bee. They always seemed to have had a little bit of everything. Gee Bee gave countless people their first job - including members of my own family. And for myself - I worked at Data Consultants - which was owned by Glossers and we did all the computer work for all the Gee Bee Stores. This picture is courtesy of JAHA.
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A reader writes "Do you remember the Gee Bee theme song?" (Lisa - I myself do not - but I'm sure some of you other readers might)

This picture - courtesy of JAHA - is worth its weight in gold as far as I am concerned. A rare shot of the old Gee Bee Department Store in Richland Township. Sometimes its the little things that stick in your memory. For me, it's the Gee Bee sign itself - you could see it blinking away from Westwood Plaza and somehow you knew all was right with the world.
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Reader RyanL want sto know:
Where would this have been located in Johnstown?
(Lisa - This is where the Giant Eagle in Richland Township is now and in my opinion there will never be another store that will ever match Gee Bee )